Flexible decorative lamp system having plurality of cylindrical connectors with triangular cross section through holes for connecting lamp strips in series

ABSTRACT

A flexible decorative lamp system including a plurality of lamp strips and a plurality of connectors adapted to connect each two lamp strips in series, wherein each connector includes a cylindrical connector body having a longitudinal center through hole of triangular cross section, two terminal elements connected together and mounted in the connector body, and two screw caps respectively fastened to two opposite ends of the connector body to hold two lamp strips in connection to the terminal elements at two opposite sides; the lamp strips have a triangular cross section fitting the longitudinal center through hole of the cylindrical connector body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to flexible decorative lamp systems, andmore particularly to such a flexible decorative lamp system which iscomprised of a plurality of flexible lamp strips of triangular crosssection connected in series.

During Christmas holidays or certain festivals, people may usedecorative light strings to decorate the trees, the houses, etc. Becausethe bulbs of the decorative light strings are exposed to the outside,they tend to be damaged. There are known decorative lamp systems usingflexible plastic tubes to hold decorative light strings. The bulbs ofthe decorative light strings are mounted in the flexible plastic tubesin transverse direction. Because decorative light strings are mounted inthe flexible plastic tubes, they are well protected. However, thesedecorative lamp systems produce monotonous lighting effect because theflexible plastic tubes have a circular cross section which does notrefract light in a three-directional manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished to provide a flexibledecorative lamp system which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks. It isone object of the present invention to provide a flexible decorativelamp system which produces a three-dimensional lighting effect. It isanother object of the present invention to provide a flexible decorativelamp system which can be conveniently bent at right angles to fit overwall corners. According to one aspect of the present invention, theflexible decorative lamp system comprises a plurality of lamp strips anda plurality of connectors adapted to connect each two lamp strips inseries, wherein each connector comprises a cylindrical connector bodyhaving a longitudinal center through-hole of triangular cross section,two terminal elements connected together and mounted in the connectorbody, and two screw caps respectively fastened to two opposite ends ofthe connector body to hold two lamp strips in connection to the terminalelements at two opposite sides; the lamp strips have a triangular crosssection fitting the longitudinal center through-hole of the cylindricalconnector body. According to another aspect of the present invention,the shell of each of lamp strip is provided with at least one V-cut atwhich the respective lamp strip can be bent at right angles to fit overa corner of a wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a flexible decorative lamp systemaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional assembly view of the flexible decorative lampsystem shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an applied view of the present invention, showing V-cuts madeat the shell of the lamp strip, the lamp strip bent at right angles andattached to corners of a wall.

FIG. 4 is another applied view of the present invention, showing aconnection of a power cable to the connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a flexible decorative lamp system inaccordance with the present invention comprises a plurality of lampstrips 1, and a plurality of connectors 2 adapted to connect each twolamp strips 1 in series.

The lamp strip 1 is comprised of a transparent, flexible, elongatedshell 12, a light string 11 installed in the shell 12, and two terminalelements 13 respectively connected to two opposite ends of the lightstring 11 and integral with two opposite ends of the shell 12. Theconnector 2 comprises a cylindrical connector body 21, a first terminalelement 22, a second terminal element 23, and two screw caps 24. Thecylindrical connector body 21 has two threaded split extension tubes 211longitudinally aligned at two opposite ends, and a longitudinal centerthrough-hole 212 of triangular cross section. The first terminal element22 and the second terminal element 23 are connected together and mountedinside the longitudinal center through-hole 212 of the cylindricalconnector body 21. The first terminal element 22 has male terminals 221at one end adapted for fastening to one terminal element 13 of a firstlamp strip 1, and female terminals 222 at an opposite end. The secondterminal element 23 has male terminals 231 at two opposite endsrespectively fastened to the female terminals 222 of the first terminalelement 22 and one terminal element 13 of a second lamp strip 1.Further, the shell 12 of each lamp strip 1 has a triangular crosssection fitting the longitudinal center through-hole 212 of thecylindrical connector body 21. When two lamp strips 1 are respectivelyinserted into the longitudinal center through-hole 212 of thecylindrical connector body 21 and respectively connected to the firstterminal element 22 and the second terminal element 23, the screw caps24 are respectively sleeved onto the lamp strips 1 and threaded onto thethreaded split extension tubes 211 of the cylindrical connector body 1to fix the lamp strips 1 and the cylindrical connector body 1 together.When the light strings 11 of the lamp strips 1 are turned on, the shell12 of each lamp strip 1 refracts the light of the respective lightstring 11 in different directions to produce a fantastic lightingeffect.

Referring to FIG. 3, V-cuts 14 may be made on the shell 12 of each lampstrip 1, so that the lamp strip 1 can be bent at right angles to fitcorner areas of a wall. As previously discussed, shell 12 is flexibleand thus may be conformed to the corners of the wall 4 as shown in FIG.3. V-cuts 14 as shown in FIG. 3 may be formed through the flexible shell12 by any conventional mechanism such as knife blades or other type ofcutting mechanism, not important to the invention as herein describedand as is well-known in the art. The depth of the V-cut 14 is notimportant to the inventive concept, but must obviously pass through awall of the shell 12, as shown, without penetrating the light string 11.

Referring to FIG. 4, the aforesaid second terminal element 23 may beremoved from the connector 2, so that a power cable 3 can be directlyconnected to the female terminals 222 of the terminal element 22.

While only one embodiment of the present invention has been shown anddescribed, it will be understood that various modifications and changescould be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention disclosed.

What the invention claimed is:
 1. A flexible decorative lamp systemcomprising a plurality of lamp strips and a plurality of connectorsadapted to connect each two lamp strips in series, wherein:each of saidconnectors comprises a cylindrical connector body, a first terminalelement, a second terminal element, and two screw caps, said cylindricalconnector body having two threaded split extension tubes longitudinallyaligned at two opposite ends, and a longitudinal center through-hole oftriangular cross section, said first terminal element and the secondterminal element being connected together and mounted inside thelongitudinal center through-hole of said cylindrical connector body,said first terminal element having a plurality of male terminals at oneend adapted for fastening to one terminal element of one lamp strip, anda plurality of female terminals at an opposite end, said second terminalelement having male terminals at two opposite ends respectively fastenedto the female terminals of said first terminal element and one terminalelement of one lamp strip; each of said lamp strips is comprised of atransparent, flexible, elongated shell having a triangular cross sectionadapted to engage into the longitudinal center through hole of one ofsaid connectors, a light string installed in said shell, and twoterminal elements respectively connected to two opposite ends of saidlight string and integral with two opposite ends of said shell.
 2. Theflexible decorative lamp system of claim 1, wherein the shell of each ofsaid lamp strips is provided with at least one V-cut passing through awall of the shell, at which the respective lamp strip can be bent atright angles to fit over a corner of the wall.